Egbetokun orders probe of alleged theft of N80m by officers in Rivers

By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun has ordered an immediate investigation into a recent allegation by a human rights activist, Joe Israel, that some senior Officers of Rivers Command stole over N80 million from the home of a suspect identified as Mr. Atubi Davidson.

The activist had claimed that the police officers said they shared the money with the Inspector General of Police.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the police view the allegation seriously and are committed to conducting a thorough and transparent investigation into the matter in a statement.

He added that to ensure that the investigation is comprehensive and unbiased, the complainants should contact the Force Public Relations Officer and be ready to cooperate by providing any relevant information regarding the matter.

“We encourage you to reach out to the FPRO directly via phone at 08037168147. Additionally, we invite anyone else with information, including the blogger, Diamond Dietanuru Osakorigho of Pararan Mock News, who went ahead to attack the IGP’s personality using abusive words on social media platforms without bothering to make findings and verify issues on the incident in Rivers State Police Command to step forward,” police said in the statement.

The Police spokesperson said the IGP who was hitherto unaware of the case has tasked his Monitoring Unit to carry out in-depth investigations into the allegations to determine the culpability or otherwise of all parties involved.

Police also warned the general public against being deceived by the name of the Inspector General of Police.

“Furthermore, seize this opportunity to advise the public about the activities of fraudulent individuals who attempt to exploit the reputation of the Inspector General of Police and other senior officers for personal gains and strongly urge members of the public to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of any individual claiming to represent Senior Police Officers in any unwholesome venture.

The Police spokesperson said as part of the commitment to ensure transparency, some individuals who indulged in the fraudulent acts have been arrested and prosecuted.

He advised that anyone, including, Police officers, who claims to be acting as an agent for the IGP or any senior Police officer for any suspicious or fraudulent activity, should be reported immediately to the NPF and the Force Public Relations Officer or the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) desk in any state of the Federation.
Our correspondent recalled that on September 22, one Joe Israel had alleged that some officers of Rivers Police Command extorted N80 million and a gold chain valued at over N4 million from him.

Joe had on September 22 petitioned Egbetokun on behalf of one Mr. Atubi Davidson, a pipeline surveillance contractor over the alleged theft of over N80 million.

He accused Assistant Commissioner of Police, Olayinka Ajeigbe of the Rivers State Criminal Investiga­tion and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Port Harcourt, and two other officers, Emmanuel Eteng and Uche Ada, of taking away the money after breaking into Davidson’s house.

He said the incident occurred on September 14, 2023, when the police team barged into the residence of Mr. Davidson, ar­rested everyone in the house and also allegedly took away N80 million kept in the house.

The activist claimed he had all the evidence necessary to prove his claim.

Israel also took to his his Facebook page to complain, saying “We can not afford to keep criminals in police uniforms.

“We call on the Inspector General of Police, Police Service Commission and all well-meaning authorities to step in, investigate, refund and prosecute any officer found wanting in this likely kidnapping act by the Cyber Crime department of the Rivers State Command Headquarters, Port Harcourt.